California minimum-wage bill delayed

A proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage hit a speed bump Monday after a committee hearing in the state Senate.

Lawmakers didn’t vote on Assembly Bill 10, authored by Salinas Democrat Luis Alejo, because the proposal’s cost triggered an automatic hold. Any bills costing the state’s general fund more than $50,000 or costing the special fund more than $150,000 are held back until later in the session.

According to legislative analysis from the Assembly, where the bill originated, raising the minimum wage could cost the state $500,000 in the first year of wage increases and cost almost $3 million by 2016. The proposal would eventually hike the wage to $10 by 2018.

Alejo’s bill now stays on the suspense file in the Senate Appropriations Committee until Aug. 30 when senators will hold another hearing on the proposal. At that point, committee members will either approve AB 10 or reject it. If approved, the full Senate will vote on the bill.